Functional Classification System of Urban Road in China

Ambiguous functional classification system (FCS) of urban road will result in serious traffic problems. In China, the current FCS experiences some deficiencies including indefinite roads classes, lack of considerations of the surrounding environment and the unreasonable automobile-priority concept, etc. It does not fully accord with the concepts of multi-modal traffic and context-sensitive design/solution (CSD/CSS) that are recommended and used widely. Consequently, based on the researches of functional classification methods used in USA, Germany and Poland, this paper analyzes the advantages of the above methods and points out the problems in China. And then, a new FCS is proposed and some key criterions of urban road concerning the service objects and priorities, design controls, road network, types of cross section, land use and bus stations are suggested.